Independent Watch Writing: Understanding Tony Traina’s Bold Move
When I learned, towards the end of last year, that former Hodinkee writer Tony Traina was launching Unpolished – his paid, independent newsletter – I got curious on a few levels. First, can such a business model succeed? After all, there’s a bunch
The Secret Sauce Behind the Value Proposition of Formex Watches
If you’re not a watch nerd, you may have never heard of Formex. Within the community though, the brand has developed a reputation for consistently punching above its weight on mechanical and material performance. For a few years now I’ve been wondering: how
A Peek Inside A Twisted Collector’s Mind (Mine)
Every collector has their quirks. I have many. More than most? I’ll let you decide. For one, I don’t like to call myself a collector. I typically consider myself a “user”, and refer to my accumulation of watches not as my collection but
About Last Sunday
When my alarm rang at 5 am on a Sunday morning, I wasn't sure how to feel. I was excited, but also pretty anxious. What if, 4 hours later, no one showed up? What if the 56 watches on sale - even more
The Catalogue and Everything Else You Need to Know for the Charity Sale on Sunday, December 8
So, here we are. Just 4 days away from something that randomly popped up a month ago when my close friend – and Time Files contributor – Luigi said he’d happily get rid of a few watches if they went to a good
Why I Support Terre des Hommes, the Leading Swiss Organization for Children’s Rights
Today, November 20th, is World Children’s Day. It felt like a good time to publish this article I’ve been preparing for the past few months. To set the context, we need to go back about two years. This blog was starting to get
Behind the Scenes of Watchmaking, at the Surface of Watch Parts: Estoppey-Addor
To the casual watch collector, the name Estoppey-Addor might not sound familiar. But for those in the know, it stands as one of those companies that make the intricate world of watches even more captivating. Although the Bienne-based family business, established 144 years
Bringing Rolex Retail (and More) Back to Bienne: A Conversation with Cédric Schiess, Founder of Art du Temps
parked outside the museum that hosts, almost secretly, the largest public Rolex collection in the world. A few hundred meters away from where the first ever Rolex watches were made, I crossed the road and walked into Art du Temps, the brand new
Time for Padel: The Story Behind Certina’s Strategic Move
Full disclosure: I’m a fan of Certina, a brand I’ve often recommended to friends and family, especially when looking for a great Swiss watch at an affordable price. That’s why, when I realized I was sitting next to its CEO, Marc Aellen (above),
The Omega JFK Wore on His First Day As President Is Also, It Seems, The One He Wore on His Last
When I wrote about John Kennedy’s Omega last year, I was not expecting to revisit the topic just eighteen months later. The elegant yellow gold rectangular timepiece, gifted by his friend Grant Stockdale, is famous for its presence on the newly elected President’s
